John W. Merwede PMP
9725 Jefferson Parkway

Englewood, CO 80112

(303) 803-3217 cell

 

Summary:   Professional Project Manager looking to secure a position with an established organization allowing me to draw upon over 20 years of diverse telecommunications experience to successfully manage and deliver a variety projects on time and under budget.

 

Experience: 

MAR 2015-Current   GCI Communications Corporation

Network Services Project Manager III

Manage wide variety of engineering projects related to telephony, broadband and IT networks for this large communications service provider. Responsible for development of scope with engineers, setting and maintaining schedule, budgetary control and contractor bid selection on various IT and network services initiatives.  Managed data center and network operations relocation projects directing the cross-functional activities of Core IP, Provisioning, Transport, Switching, Circuit, OSP (Outside Plant), Facilities and Electrical engineering groups.  Additional projects involved the implementation of IT networks, OTN platform expansions, long-haul fiber upgrades, OTN installations, facility construction and HVAC system upgrades at remote Earth Stations.  Completing 6-month contract.

 

JUL 2014-JAN 2015         Sprint Nextel Corporation

Commissioning & Integration Project Manager

Project Manager for Sprint guiding sites through the C&I processes, from Construction Complete to 2.5GHz On-Air status.  Interfacing with Sprint Construction Managers, RF design engineers and OEM Project Managers to insure timely completion of construction and ATP activities per the Plan of Record (POR). Point of contact for all 2.5GHz troubleshooting efforts, engaging the appropriate personnel to resolve complex issues prior to commercial launch. Areas of responsibility include Colorado, Utah and parts of Wyoming.  Completed 6-month contract.

 

FEB 2013-JUN 2014                   Alcatel-Lucent

Acceptance Project Manager

Acceptance management: responsible for LTE closeout reviews based upon Sprint Network Vision standards.  Oversaw field activities of tower crews, BTS integrators, AAV backhaul crews and tiger teams.  Trained in utilizing the ART Tool for processing COP submittals. Rejected packages that did not meet construction standards and deployed general contractors to address deficiencies.  Construction management: supervised real estate and RAN construction teams on Sprint 4G network deployments in Virginia and North Carolina.  Daily responsibilities included managing multiple civil construction companies and integration teams, meeting and negotiating with landlords and tower owners, performing pre-construction meetings with subcontractors, developing and submitting BOMs, FST and Siterra database reviews, reporting market status updates to ALU Regional Management. Completed (3) consecutive 6-month contracts.

 

JUN 2012-DEC 2012              WFI

Market Lead Project Manager

Managed multiple vendors performing NSN deployments on T-Mobile 4G RAN Modernization project throughout Colorado. As Project Manager, I was responsible for contract negotiations with various subcontractors, acquiring and developing office/construction management teams, budgetary control, material acquisitions, installation, change orders, compiling and submitting closeout packages. Use of MS Project to track and report market status.  Established WFI in the Denver market by initiating relationships with local tower companies, licensed electricians and material suppliers.

 

 

 

 

 

JAN 2010-JUN 2012                                  AT&T Mobility

Implementation Project Manager: Construction & Engineering

Managed full lifecycle deployment of >1,500 sites in Mid-Atlantic region.  Created cost matrix and financial forecasting reports for senior AT&T executives, with annual budgets of $5-7M.  Responsible for approval of NORAD drivers for civil vendors and Ericsson services. Conducted construction feasibility meetings with NSB, LTE carrier expansion and RF Engineering teams, including small cell and DAS designs.  Submitted civil material orders and coordinated deployment of market resources.  Tracked deliverables including: site acquisition, transport delivery, Gate 2 testing, civil construction, RND_CIQ checklists and scripts, integration/call test, KPI optimization drives and commercial launch.  Monitor post-launch network performance, resolving various issues on UTRAN reports.  QA of final product through closeout package review, ensuring previously agreed upon C&E scoping standards had been achieved.  Completed (2) 12-month and (1) 6-month contracts.

 

 

FEB 2009-JAN 2010                            Clearwire

Backhaul Engineering Project Manager

Began the Richmond Backhaul project during initial WiMax network design phase. Performed MW Engineer functions such as: network design, candidate selection, link budget analysis (Pathloss4), frequency coordination, FCC surveys and licensing (Comsearch).  Scheduled construction and pathing dates based on Site Acquisition clearance and equipment availability. Other duties included estimating resources and materials, placing orders through Bechtel Procurement System, asset tracking and authorizing warehouse releases. MW network utilized Dragonwave, Ceragon and Motorola radios. Conducted training sessions to instruct personnel on standards of installation per National Guidelines. Moderated conference calls between vendors and Engineering/Construction groups.  Developed field mitigation plans for troubleshooting problematic microwave links. Involved with MOP submittal process and CQ ticket generation. Responsible for Closeout Package review process, punch lists and final acceptance signature.  Completed 12-month project ahead of schedule and under budget.

 

 

DEC 2007-JAN 2009                                 Globelink Telecom

Operations Manager

Manage field operations of microwave and cell site construction for multiple customers on the West Coast and Southeast regions.  Coordinate operational logistics, including the scheduling of utility and LEC delivery.  Direct all tower crew and technician activities, assuring proper installation procedures and OSHA guidelines are adhered to.  Perform NSB (New Site Build) bid walks and generate SOW/BOM for upcoming projects. Drive-testing sites for RF optimization of UMTS networks. Assist RF Engineer with Link Budget calculation using Pathloss software, frequency coordination and submittals to FCC.

 

 

OCT 2006- OCT 2007                                     CH2M HILL

UMTS Project Manager

Responsible for closing out over 250 UMTS overlay sites in Dallas-Fort Worth for acceptance by Ericsson and Cingular/AT&T.  Reviewed subcontractor’s turnover packages including site acquisition, structurals/zoning compliance, RF audits, redlined CDs, sweeps, RET shots, T1 tests, and post-construction RF and ancillary photos. Created punch lists for any deficiencies per stringent AT&T installation standards. Upload closeout documentation into Siterra database.  Coordinated with LEC and power companies for relocation of onsite utilities.  Directed construction activities to ensure maximum utilization of resources while maintaining a cost-effective process.  Completed 12-month contract.

 

 

AUG 2005- SEP 2006             Hunter-Green Associates: Wireless Division

Construction Manager

Manage field operations integrating UMTS and Node B equipment into Cingular’s existing GSM and TDMA network in the Dallas, Raleigh and San Diego markets. Installation of CDMA equipment for Sprint’s network in NYC. Responsible for assessing project and making necessary adjustments in personnel, scheduling, material delivery/logistics and reporting procedures. Coordinate crew activities, assemble closeout packages and generate status reports for corporate office. Construction manager for 6 months providing turnkey Ericsson and Nokia BTS installations. Trained crew members on two-port Anritsu Sitemaster operation and sweep interpretation.
 

 

FEB 2003- AUG 2005                                  Globelink Telecom

Crew Leader/ RF Technician

Responsibilities included:

·   Design, installation, testing, and activation of microwave sites (Harris Megastar, NEC, MNI, Proxim, and Alcatel microwave radios)

·   Installation, testing, and activation of cellular sites (Ericsson, Nokia and Lucent)

·   GSM network optimization, collecting drive test data

·   Diagnosing and troubleshooting electronic equipment problems

·   Monitoring system performance and reporting status to Network Operations Center

·   Programming and mapping of DACS and smart channel banks

·   Proficient use of BERT test set, Power Meter, Frequency Counter, Anritsu Sitemaster

·   Project management including cost analysis, bid walks, schedule planning and quality control

 

 

 

MAY 1998- DEC 2002                        Tundra Communications Inc.

Tower Rigger/ Field Technician

·   Installation of microwave antenna systems and satellite Earth stations

·   Acceptance testing and maintenance of microwave, satellite and cellular networks

·   Peaking RF signal with path alignment

·   Sweep testing of antenna systems

·   Wiring Central Office data communications equipment

·   Installing AC rectifiers and DC power plants

·   Inspections of self-support and guyed towers at heights of up to 600’

  Field Tech responsible for acceptance testing and maintenance of multi-hop microwave network

 

 

 

Certifications: 

Anritsu Sitemaster

Andrew Corp. Terrestrial Microwave Installation
Andrew Corp. VSWR and Connector Assembly
Ceragon IP-10 Modem Programming

Dragonwave Horizon DUO & Compact Network Operator

E-Band 80GHz Milliwave Installation

Microwave Networks CM6 Digital Microwave Radio

NSN Flexi Multi Radio Installation

OSHA 10-hour Construction Industry Safety

PMI Project Management Professional Certification (PMBOK v6)

 

Education:

University of Alaska, Anchorage

Electrical Engineering Major

 

 

 

Major Projects

GCI- IT network project in Anchorage Operations Center with budget of $4M

GCI- Optical Transfer Network upgrade to expand company’s broadband services to Eagle River AK

GCI- Long-haul fiber upgrade project from Valdez to Whittier via undersea cabling system

Sprint- Managed all aspects of C&I process for 2.5GHz project in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming

AT&T- Directed LTE and UMTS expansion projects in Virginia and West Virginia

University of Richmond- Implemented DAS system at multiple campus buildings

Clearwire- Managed MW Backhaul portion of WiMax-Expedience convergence project in Richmond,VA

AT&T- Troubleshoot problem microwave links and radios throughout Southeast Alaska

T-Mobile- Performed acceptance testing and closeouts on UMTS rollout project in South Florida markets

Cingular/AT&T- Worked in multiple capacities on nationwide UMTS Overlay and TMA upgrade

U.S. Army, Germany- Upgraded antenna systems and radios on encrypted network links

AT&T Wireless- Install and commission GSM upgrade equipment at 50 Seattle/Tacoma area sites

DOT, State of Florida – Installation, test, and activation of digital microwave system along I-10 hwy

GCI Communications – Installation of satellite Earth stations (4.2 meter) for remote Telemedicine project

University of Hawaii, HITS – Install OC-3 SONET backbone on islands of Oahu, Hawaii, and Kauai

Enstar Natural Gas Company – Converted a 2 GHz analog microwave system into 6 GHz digital

 

 

Industry references available upon request